The Ritz Ybor in Tampa was the only Florida stop for New Jersey-based bands OVERKILL and SYMPHONY X. The two bands have great respect for each other and previously toured together with great success, so they decided to do it again. I saw this tour package a few years ago, and it was one of the live highlights of the year for me.

My friend and I made the fairly quick drive down from Orlando to check out the show. The crowd was a pretty decent size for a Tuesday night and The Ritz Ybor perfectly accommodated the metal crowd.

First up, SYMPHONY X took the stage. Some dates feature SYMPHONY X as a headliner, but here they played first. They changed their setlist dramatically, playing the first seven songs off of their very strong new album Underworld, and then playing a few older songs to close out the set. The band sounded tight and put on a great show, with their set lasting a little over an hour.

Setlist:

"Nevermore"

"Underworld"

"Without You"

"Kiss Of Fire"

"Charon"

"To Hell And Back"

"Of Sins And Shadows"

"Serpent’s Kiss"

"Eve Of Seduction"

"Set The World On Fire"

"Iconoclast"

Next up were headliners OVERKILL, masters of thrash and wreckers of necks. Their setlist was awesome, with the band pulling songs from eight different studio albums. Personally, I would have loved to hear anything from Horrorscope but that is a minor complaint, as the setlist was still great. The crowd was very vocal and appreciative of the metal being delivered, while the seizure-inducing strobe lights on stage emphasized the soundtrack. OVERKILL are one of the best live bands in the world, and have never failed to ‘bring it’ live on stage. Some of my favorites were older tracks like “End Of The Line” and “In Union We Stand”. “Skullkrusher” continues to be possibly the heaviest live song ever performed. A great show that featured some mosh pits and lots of headbanging! I look forward to the next tour.